Full Breakdown
Elon Musk’s America PAC Deploys $100-Million Ad Blitz Targeting Democrats with Misleading Claims on Gender-Affirming Care
By Drooid · · How we work
The Ad Blitz
In the weeks before the 2026 midterms, Elon Musk’s America PAC spent $100-$120 million on TV and digital ads accusing Democratic candidates of backing “taxpayer-funded sex-change surgeries on kids.” The campaign ran in Texas, Ohio, Michigan, Iowa and Alaska from September 5-21, allocating roughly $1 million per state. Over $500 000 targeted Texas State Senate candidate James Talarico.
Background and Prior Tensions
Musk, the world’s richest person, has a history of antagonism toward transgender issues, including remarks about his estranged transgender daughter. After a brief fallout with former President Donald Trump in 2025, Musk re-aligned with GOP interests by funding America PAC. The New York Times reported in July that Musk authorized the spending to bolster Republican prospects.
Spending and Targeted Candidates
- James Talarico (TX) – $> 500 000; ads cite a March 2026 Fox News story claiming he voted against a bill to ban sex-change surgeries for children, misrepresenting his 2023 vote on Texas SB 14.
- Sherrod Brown (OH) – ads reference a 2023 interview in which Brown said health decisions for children belong to families and doctors, yet portray him as endorsing taxpayer-funded gender-transition procedures.
- Abdul El-Sayed (MI) – ads splice a 2025 interview with Fox News host Jesse Watters, extracting El-Sayed’s “move on” remark out of context to suggest he supports minors’ surgeries.
- Josh Turek (IA) – ads highlight his 2025 vote against Iowa House File 1049, a budget bill that included a Medicaid ban on sex-reassignment surgery, despite such surgeries already being prohibited in Iowa.
- Mary Peltola (AK) – ads point to her 2024 vote against an amendment to a defense policy bill that would have barred dependent minors of service members from receiving gender-affirming care through the Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP). The EFMP never funded surgeries; those are covered by TRICARE, which also does not fund such procedures.
Official Responses from Targeted Politicians
- James Talarico clarified in a March 2026 Fox News interview that he does not support gender-affirming surgeries for minors and would back a nationwide ban.
- Sherrod Brown emphasized that “a child’s health-care decisions are between them, their parents, their families and their doctors.”
- Josh Turek’s spokesperson told PolitiFact in June that he opposes surgeries for trans minors.
- Mary Peltola noted that the amendment she opposed never became law and that the EFMP does not provide medical procedures.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
- The ads cite a Fox News article from March 2026 stating Talarico voted against a bill banning sex-change surgeries for children. The original piece does not mention taxpayer funding, and Talarico’s 2023 vote was on SB 14, which already prohibited such surgeries for minors.
- No public record shows any of the targeted candidates ever voted for legislation that would allocate federal or state funds to gender-transition surgeries for minors, creating a gap between the ad narrative and legislative reality.
What’s Next
America PAC’s filing with the Federal Election Commission indicates that the $100-$120 million ad budget will continue through the November 3 midterm elections. The targeted candidates have pledged to counter the misinformation through campaign statements and fact-checking outreach, but no further legal challenges to the ads have been announced.